34 years - The Irreverent Reverend

34 years

Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I would have forgotten if not for a fewrighteousrants, which everyone of you should read, whether you're sitting on the fence or the most ardent supporter of the pro-choice movement.

I'm every bit as tired as everyone else of explaining myself and engineering apologies. So abortion counseling comprises less than a tenth of what Planned Parenthood actually does. That doesn't mean we're going to be silent on the issue and just talk about family planning, sex education, and contraception. What the fuck is that? The Iraq strategy? If we fight the terrorists over there, they won't come after us here. Fuck that. Abortion is the contested political territory. Everything else is an argument the pro-choice movement has already won in deed.

Maybe back when I was still flirting around with the idea of pursuing journalism as a vocation that kind of public relations maneuvering. But that's not where I'm going anymore. So fuck moderation. Fuck playing defense. Fuck trying to seek the middle ground when conciliation entails more restrictions for women and healthcare providers.

Roe v. Wade is here to stay. Even another Bush appointee on the Supreme Court probably won't change that. What we should be worried about are all the government restrictions that seem innocent at first (parental/spousal notification, informed consent, etc.) but put together constitute an undue burden on abortion providers. This is why clinics are closing down and cutting services. Our enemies may very well be as stupid as we often think, but their methods are not so crude.